Profile Evaluation - Indian Banker - URGENT

Question

Hiya,

Thank you for taking the time out to review my profile. Let me give you a brief on my resume so that you can have a better understanding of the same:

a) Work Experience: Currently working for an Indian investment bank as a PE/M&A analyst. I am planning to apply for 2013 batch and hoping to work till early 2013. I would have gained ~3 years of work experience (front end investment banking + micro Finance manager ) which I think should prepare me to apply to a business school. I have worked on various deals, some of them have been the biggest in their sectors in India and also been part of the bank's business development exercise. Was solely responsible for originating a see side mandate for an Indian sugar company ($20 mn)

b) International Exposure: Apart from my one year stint in the UK during my masters (A top British Uni), I don’t really have any international exposure. Having said that, I do work with a lot of mid-market and boutique investments banks in US and UK which might count as “international exposure”.

c) GMAT: I have a GMAT score of 710

d) Social Involvement: I have worked with C.O.R.P for one year teaching English in a municipal school in Mumbai and a six month internship with a microfinance firm as a principal manager for new initiatives and business develoment covering rural areas and villages in the state of Rajasthan, India. Helped setup special help groups and also led firms communications with international peers and VC funds

e) Investment banking background: Mid-market investment banks in India give a better profile and exposure to its analysts as compared to their peers in the US and Europe. I have worked on live deals and also been a part of the business development exercise of the bank which is rare in global banks or US banks where analysts have a limited role.

f) Education: BA (Economics) Top of the class and university topper at Mumbai University, one of the oldest and prestigious arts and science college in India. Masters in Finance and Economics from a top British b-school.

g)Internships: 2 internships with large global financial services firm with private banking and asset management divisions in India

h) Schools short listed: - Wharton Business School

- Yale SOM

- MIT Sloan

- Chicago Booth

- Kellogg

- Tepper School

- Columbia

- NYU

- Darden Virginia

Plan to continue with IB after MBA. Help companies in the Education sector to raise capital and go public. Also work with banks which have a specialised focus on micro-finance companies. I would like to leverage my sector knowledge and deal experience to raise money in nascent but very potential sectors.

Please do let me know if my choice of schools is apt for my resume. Your thoughts will be deeply appreciated. Thank you again for all your help and support.

Hoping to hear soon from you.

jenniferbloom · Answer

You sound like a strong candidate. Your GMAT will still have to be strong (720 or higher) since you hail from a very large applicant pool but your IB/PE/M&A work will help you stand out. I would recommend you try to stay involved in the microfinance work you were doing on the side to help differentiate your application and prove your connection to microfinance in the future.

sarveshmehta · Answer

Hi,

Thank you for your reply and awesome analysis of my resume.

I realise that some schools can be reach for me. From the list i provided (and some schools not present there) which schools do you think i should stress on and have good chances at. Can u please categorise schools into "stretch", "sweet spot" and "safety" for me?

Thank you again for your support and guidance. Cheers

jenniferbloom · Answer

None of those schools is easy to get into, but from your profile I would say they are all "sweet spot": in the right zone for your accomplishments and qualifications. If you can boost your GMAT score to 720 or higher, I do think that would help a bit. I don't like to use the term "safety" schools, but I do think that your chances of success at  Notre Dame ,  UNC ,  Marshall , and  McDonough  are strong.

sanjuro9 · Answer

your application will be very competitive. one concern that i see is that you already have a MSF. you will have to explain well why you need another graduate degree especially when you wish to continue in the same industry and function after business school.

what is it that you can't do today without mba that you hope to accomplish with your b'school education? of course, recruiting access to NYC, London IB won't cut in terms of motivation for mba. you need to think hard on this aspect.

sarveshmehta · Answer

Hi,

I am glad you think that my profile is competitive at these schools. I am still a little confused about applying this year (with 3 years when i apply and close to 4 years of work-ex when i matriculate) or apply next year. Your views on the same will be appreciated.

Let me explain you my rationale for a masters and now MBA - breaking into investment banking in India requires a post grad degree and some finance background (academically). The MSc course i did was a hardcore finance degree with less emphasis on other aspects of business/administration. I goes without saying that it helped land me a decent IB role and that too in M&A/PE. I have been involved with a regional micro finance company and might start working with them full time as manager for new strategy and initiatives. During my stint with them, i realised finance is not just about number crunching but a lot more. Strong network within the industry, global experience among other factors that prompted me to go for an MBA with a strong finance program and a strong alumni network.

I will obviously have to put all this systematically in "my story" for my applications.

I see that you are probably studying at INSEAD. Your views and guidance about my approach will be really great.
Thank you again for reaching out and putting forward your views. Hoping to hear soon.

sarveshmehta · Answer

Hi

I am glad you think that my profile is competitive at these schools. I am still a little confused about applying this year (with 3 years when i apply and close to 4 years of work-ex when i matriculate) or apply next year. Your views on the same will be appreciated.

Let me explain you my rationale for a masters and now MBA - breaking into investment banking in India requires a post grad degree and some finance background (academically). The MSc course i did was a hardcore finance degree with less emphasis on other aspects of business/administration. I goes without saying that it helped land me a decent IB role and that too in M&A/PE. I have been involved with a regional micro finance company and might start working with them full time as manager for new strategy and initiatives. During my stint with them, i realised finance is not just about number crunching but a lot more. Strong network within the industry, global experience among other factors that prompted me to go for an MBA with a strong finance program and a strong alumni network.

I will obviously have to put all this systematically in "my story" for my applications.

I see that you are probably studying at INSEAD. Your views and guidance about my approach will be really great.
Thank you again for reaching out and putting forward your views. Hoping to hear soon.

sarveshmehta · Answer

I am glad you think that my profile is competitive at these schools. I am still a little confused about applying this year (with 3 years when i apply and close to 4 years of work-ex when i matriculate) or apply next year. Your views on the same will be appreciated.

Let me explain you my rationale for a masters and now MBA - breaking into investment banking in India requires a post grad degree and some finance background (academically). The MSc course i did was a hardcore finance degree with less emphasis on other aspects of business/administration. I goes without saying that it helped land me a decent IB role and that too in M&A/PE. I have been involved with a regional micro finance company and might start working with them full time as manager for new strategy and initiatives. During my stint with them, i realised finance is not just about number crunching but a lot more. Strong network within the industry, global experience among other factors that prompted me to go for an MBA with a strong finance program and a strong alumni network.

I will obviously have to put all this systematically in "my story" for my applications.

I see that you are probably studying at INSEAD. Your views and guidance about my approach will be really great.
Thank you again for reaching out and putting forward your views. Hoping to hear soon.

jenniferbloom · Answer

Your reasoning for the MBA is clear, but I do advise you to talk  in your essays  about the education itself and not just how the alumni network will help you achieve your goals. In my opinion, it cannot hurt to apply this year: you feel ready and you have experience to contribute to the class.

Profile Evaluation - Indian Banker - URGENT

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